KDM Hardware

Starting as a family owned business in 1962, Midtown Lumber continues to expand, build up the city, and uphold its legacy of excellent customer service and quality under the new leadership of Zach Chasky. Zach began working at Midtown Lumber as a teenager, and instantly knew that a career in the lumber industry was just right for him. “I really enjoyed it. It was the first kind of thing in my life that just really made sense. ” After working at Midtown Lumber for three years, Zach left in order to grow as a project manager at a different construction company. Later, Mike Kopf, the son of Midtown Lumber’s founder Paul Kopf, re-hired Zach for a more senior position. There was never a question of whether Michael Kopf was going to take over Midtown Lumber when he grew up. Since 1962, when his family came to New York and his father and uncle co-founded the business, it had been a part of Mike’s life. He spent his earliest days in and around the place: “I used to play in the bins in the back, ” he recalled. Though Mike eventually attended Baruch College, he always arranged his class schedule to allow him ample time to work at the lumber shop. He started working full-time when he was twenty-four. After working for Mike for fifteen years, an accident caused Mike to be unable to continue running the business, and Zach was able to raise the money to purchase the lumber business. Midtown Lumber receives a wide range of clients: from individual people, to businesses of all sizes, to developers. Zach considers the fact that around 90% of their income is from returning customers a major success. After working in the business for so long, a lot of the customers have become his close friends. While describing what it is like to work at Midtown Lumber, Zach said that “most people would say my environment is too relaxed. I’m close to everyone who works with me. It’s really a family environment. ” Having great quality and consistency, as well as truly treating every customer like “they’re the only one who matters, ” has established them as a reliable business over the course of their decade’s long existence.

Alessandra and Mario De Benedetti had never been in the restaurant business. She was a law professor and he was in finance - both living in Italy. When a passion burns inside you, however, and a desire to live in NYC is so strong, why not change careers and pursue your dream? This is exactly what the dynamic duo chose to do. Working alongside Elizabeth Roberts, architect extraordinaire, the team created a space built for dramatic floral arrangements and an enchanting atmosphere for dining. Alessandra combined her love of flowers by integrating them into the restaurant's splendid cocktails, specialty dishes and magnificent displays. In 2019, their dream finally became a reality as they opened the doors of Il Florista on West 26th Street.

Crossroads Trading Company now has almost thirty locations around the United States, but even in Manhattan they keep their original relaxed Bay Area vibe. The company began in Berkeley in 1991 and has since become a hub for recycling both men and women's clothing with the goal of helping the environment and working to eliminate waste. Locals are welcome to come in and sell their gently used garments for cash or credit... and while there, hopefully browse for something

If one were to close their eyes and walk into Hill Country, there is no doubt that in an instant they would know what kind of food was being prepared. At Hill Country, they take their barbecue very seriously. The food is prepared in their very own custom meat-smoking room, and everything is done in the style of Central Texas barbecue. The atmosphere is kitschy and relaxed, with live American music most nights of the week.

When Ashley Van Goehring, Hotel Giraffe’s director of sales and marketing, led me up to the rooftop bar as part of a tour of the entire building, I did not expect to find such a quiet nook. Despite being in the middle of the busy Flatiron district, the patio’s height and warm red brick border meant that the sky-high courtyard is reasonably silent. It is also beautiful: every inch appeared to be carefully designed with hanging plants, potted shrubs, and striped deck furniture that hinted at the hotel’s name. There is even a metallic giraffe statue in the corner, named after owner, Henry Kallan's granddaughter, Jesse. The seasonal rooftop does not remain quiet at night. Though the garden is only open to guests during the day, at night it turns into a cocktail bar, run by Bread and Tulips, the restaurant attached to Hotel Giraffe. The tucked-away space is also attached to the hotel’s private event room, which has a little roof terrace of its own. Ashley told us that the room had been used as Big’s apartment in the Sex and the City movie, and pointed out the little details that can be seen in some of the film scenes. The small attached patio shows just as much care and attention to detail as the larger rooftop bar, with potted flowers and warm, giraffe-inspired colors. Staring out at the sunny view, Ashley turned to me and said, “It’s nice to be reminded that this city is not just the place where I live. It’s a magical place. ”

Whenever Rebecca, a member of the Manhattan Sideways team, asked her glamorous college roommate from Arizona where she had bought whatever fabulous item of clothing she was wearing, the answer was always the same... Buffalo Exchange. Founded in 1974 by Kerstin Block in Arizona, it was one of the first used clothing shops to open in the country. The store offers its patrons a place to buy, sell, or trade second-hand garments so that they can find a new life in someone else's wardrobe. Today, Kerstin continues to run her company with the help of her daughter, Rebecca, and they have expanded to forty-seven stores nationwide. The company has maintained its funky, fun vibe and reasonable prices even as it has grown so large.